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Like other plants, the olive tree is govยญerned by a develยญopยญment cycle bound to the yearโs seaยญsons. Thus, havยญing spent the winยญter in a deep state of lethargy, it is in the spring, sumยญmer and autumn that it underยญgoes the most stages. Every one of these will depend on how the buds have evolved.
While some of the buds sproutยญing from the olive tree will turn into blosยญsoms that give shape to the fruit, othยญers will move towards the future, becomยญing the first shoots and branches. These branches, in turn, will genยญerยญate new buds so that this cycle is always guarยญanยญteed.
This and other subยญseยญquent cycles are known throughยญout the agronomous world as pheยญnoยญlogยญiยญcal stages, and, as we have seen, the forยญmer corยญreยญsponds to budยญding.
In this process, the oriยญgin of everyยญthing is conยญcenยญtrated in the buds, which, in realยญity, proยญtect a latent reduced verยญsion of the treeโs upper parts in the future.
In the case of the olive tree, these buds are located in the leaf axil, although they may also be found hidยญden in the oldยญest wood. From the moment they show their first signs of activยญity, they may evolve in two direcยญtions. Thus, some blosยญsom into a clusยญter of flowยญers while othยญers give life to a new shoot with leaves. Bearing this difยญferยญence, we say there are flower and vegยญeยญtaยญtive buds.
The visual difยญferยญences between the two are barely disยญcernible when closed. They do not become clear when observยญing their locaยญtion on the tree either, as both types choose a secluded place to grow, exactly where the leaf joins its twig.
The future of these buds will depend on the varยญiยญous bioยญchemยญiยญcal mechยญaยญnisms that occur just before winยญterโs arrival, which we will anaยญlyze in more depth in future ediยญtions.
The budยญding begins
In both cases, the arrival of spring brings a gradยญual increase in the temยญperยญaยญtures and more dayยญlight hours. This trigยญgers the beginยญning of the budยญding process in the tree. A return to life, now that the winยญter has been surยญpassed.
Logically, in warmer regions, this pheยญnomยญeยญnon takes place earยญlier than in cold zones. In Spain, this cliยญmate difยญferยญence may be of up to two months, with the first olive groves budยญding in early March and the latยญest in late April.
When this process begins, the buds open the new leaves as these stretch over the outer edge, thus givยญing rise to the growth of a new branch. It should be clear in this explaยญnaยญtion that the trees grow from their shoots and not, as peoยญple popยญuยญlarly believe, by โโstretchยญingโ their branches or trunk.
This growth will be faster or slower dependยญing on conยญdiยญtions such as the availยญabilยญity of water and light and the nutriยญtional and sanยญiยญtary conยญdiยญtions. This is why it is vitally imporยญtant for the growth to be sufยญfiยญcient, as on these new branches, other leaves will develop and other new buds, allowยญing the olive tree to blosยญsom the folยญlowยญing year, which will, thereยญfore, proยญvide a fruitยญful future harยญvest.
In this phase, the growth patยญtern of the buds is always the same: two leaves that emerge in oppoยญsite direcยญtions on each internยญode, rotatยญing their 90ยบ angle on the folยญlowยญing internยญode.
Chromatic variยญety as an indiยญcaยญtor of change
On the other hand, we have all seen that olive trees do not cast off their leaves in the winยญter. On the conยญtrary, these gradยญuยญally and natยญuยญrally fall when they turn yelยญlow upon reachยญing the age of two or three years old. This pheยญnomยญeยญnon is more easยญily seen in the springยญtime, just when enough new leaves have appeared.
Budding changes the appearยญance of these trees due to the sap that is pushed onto their leaves by the roots. This is a clear sign of life that darkยญens or lightยญens the leaves as a preยญlude to its next stage: blosยญsomยญing.
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